A long standing problem with electrical connectors in general, and specifically with sealed connectors intended for use in underwater applications, has been the inability to service and repair such connectors in the field. In general, such connectors must be disassembled in a repair shop and molded component assemblies replaced with new components. Furthermore, to make an electrical connection waterproof, it has heretofore been necessary that at least one part of the male or female member of the connector be formed of, or equipped with, a relatively soft, deformable element, to provide a seal around the electrically conductive parts of the connector or, alternatively, enclose the entire connector within a sealed case.
For example, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/134,075, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,119, filed Oct. 8, 1993 by the inventor of the present invention, discloses an underwater electrical connector having a male member formed of a rigid plastic material that has a plurality of pins partially enclosed by a sheath formed of the same rigid plastic material. The underwater connector has a female member formed of an elastomeric material and has a plurality of passageways formed in the elastomeric material in which a portion of the passageway sealably surrounds the rigid sheaths of the male member. This arrangement provides an excellent waterproof seal to exclude moisture from the connection between the pin and a socket encapsulated within the female member. However, this construction makes it necessary to enclose the separated wires of the cable bundle, and the individual connections between the wires and the sockets in the female connector, in a single molded component. Thus, it is not possible, in the field, to replace only the female connector because the repair must necessarily include the cable to which the female member is molded. Also, since the sockets are embedded in a relatively soft, deformable material, it is possible for the sockets to become slightly misaligned, permitting the sockets to move, or even bend, during insertion of the pins and subsequent use of the connector. This characteristic, while desirable for sealing, makes it more difficult, over a period of time, to maintain the desirable alignment of the sockets with a respective pin of the male connector.
Other electrical connectors have male or female members, or both, in which the respective pins and sockets are encased in a relatively soft, elastomeric body that is surrounded by a hard plastic or metallic case. When the body and case are constructed of materials having different physical characteristics, even though they are initially bonded together, the components are prone to subsequent separation and failure.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above. It is desirable to have an electrical connector that is easily repairable in the field and is useable in both underwater and dry land environments. For such underwater uses, it is desirable that the sealing capability of the connector increases in response to an increase in the water pressure imposed on the connector at greater depths. It is also desirable to have such an electrical connector in which both the male and female components of the connector are each formed of a single, rigid material.